A Little Thanks is All it Takes
by Well-Well
Summary: Rukia has to go to the bathroom, and she figures it's okay, since it's the middle of the night. But things don't go as planned when Yuzu wakes up. It's Ichigo to the rescue! Language warning. IchiRu–ish. [One Shot]


A/N: A lot of my stories reflect bits and pieces of the actual story line in them, but mainly have nothing to do with them. Remember, if you will, when Renji first actively enters the story. He finds Rukia, and comments on her human expressions, and how she no longer resembles a Death God, or Shinigami. This part plays here, in this story, before the Soul Society arc. My last story wasn't very humorous. Well, this is to lighten the mood a bit. I don't own bleach, no matter how much I wish I do. 'Cause you know, if I did, I would make games and movies and all sorts o' stuff about it. But don't mind me; just your average obsession, here…

… What are _you_ looking at?...

Anywho, enjoy:

……… A Little Thanks is All it Takes ………

Rukia looked into the tiny pool of luminous water, fascinated by the reflection that stared back at her. _I've changed so much in so little time…_ Her eyes were different, even her stony expression had softened somewhat. _Is that really me?_ A droplet from nowhere fell from above and into the puddle, blurring the image into a thousand different dimensions of color.

Rukai woke with a start, sitting up fast in bed, before remembering where she was. Her stomach gurgled. _Why did I let Ichigo talk me into eating six bowls of soup?_ Her stomach gurgled again, and she quietly slid open the closet door, stepping out onto the cold floor of his room. She found herself rubbing her arms together in one of Yuzu's less warm pajamas to stop the goose bumps from forming. Everything was silent. She glanced at Ichigo, whose stomach rose and fell evenly under his sheets, before stepping out of his room. She had business to complete.

She made her way down the hallway and into the bathroom, where she closed the door and began to go about said business.

………

Ichigo yawned and stretched, before glancing at his clock. It read 3:57 A.M. He glanced at the closet, a habit he'd adapted after Rukia had 'moved in,' and was mildly surprised to see that it was ajar and Rukia was no where to be seen. _Heh heh heh…_ he thought smugly to himself. _I can't believe she actually drank six bowls of soup in less than a minute!_ He yawned again, before pulling over the covers and attempting to get comfortable again. But after a few seconds, he thought he would just check the hallway, to see if she needed something. He set his feet down on the cold floor, moving toward the door and turning the handle.

When he saw Yuzu knocking quietly at the bathroom door, he began to panic.

_Shit…_

"Ichi-ni, hurry up," she was whispering tiredly to the door, still knocking.

_Shit-shit-shit-shit!_

He thought of something to do fast, and though he wasn't sure of it, he knew he had no choice. He stepped all the way out in the hallway with an akimbo posture, putting an annoyed look on his face. "Oi, Yuzu," he whispered quietly, "who're you talking to?" She glanced over with a phased look on her face.

"Ohh, sorry to wake you, Oni-chan, but I just need to use the bathroom, and you're in it right now. Will you tell you to hurry up?" Ichigo tripped. The panned look on her face told Ichigo that he was in luck. She was still almost completely asleep. She yawned sleepily, and Ichigo nodded in understanding to her previous comment.

"Uh, hai, sure thing, Yuzu," he said, a sweatdrop forming on his forehead. He scratched his head. "Why don't I show you something downstairs, hmm?"

"But Oni-chan, I gotta go to the––"

"I know, I know! But I wanna show you something!" He grabbed her arm gently and practically pulled her down the stairs. "You see––" he started at the bottom, looking for something, anything to point to, "look, the old man fell asleep on the couch again! Ahah-ahah-ahah-ahah!" he blurted, laughing stupidly. _Damn it, if she wakes up completely now, I'm screwed_. There was, of course, no one on the couch. In fact, Isshin was away on business.

"That's nice, Ichi-ni." She yawned, and a million sweatdrops began pouring down Ichigo's face. "But I gotta go." Before Ichigo could stop her, she scrambled back up the stairs.

………

Rukia had heard the small commotion outside the bathroom door, but since it went away, she chose to ignore it. After finishing her business, she went to wash her hands, and glanced in the mirror at herself. Warm eyes stared back. She remembered how some of the Shinigami had asked her why she always had a stone-cold look. But even though she was not smiling, her face gave off a warm glow. _What made this happen?_ she asked herself. She knew the answer. _But then… why did he change me?_ She could barely remember the sights and sounds of Soul Society, and yet she could remember Ichigo's touch, his smell, his gaze holding hers… she shook herself out of her 'foolish' revere. _I should not think like this… I shouldn't…_ She dried her hands and moved toward the door.

………

Ichigo followed close behind Yuzu, but when he reached the top, he stopped in terror. Rukia was just about to enter Ichigo's room when Yuzu had come up. The two looked at each other, and Ichigo put his hands together silently. "Kami-sama, I don't ask for much, but––"

Yuzu blinked one eye at a time, looking at Rukia almost skeptically with half-open eyes. Rukia had frozen, as if not moving would stop Yuzu from seeing her. Finally, Yuzu moved forward, her eyes opening wide, and she pointed at Rukia with a stunned look on her face. "Who are you!" Rukia looked like a deer caught in headlights, sweat pouring down her face, and Ichigo wasn't far off. "Ichi-ni, did you do something to your hair? And did you _shrink?_" Rukia was confused, but Ichigo motored along.

"Hai, hai, that's right, Yuzu," he said, moving up behind her and pushing her toward the bathroom door as fast as he could. "My, hair, hai!"

"Demo Ichi-ni!" she started, but Ichigo had already pushed her into the restroom and closed the door. Seconds later, he scuttled back in his own room, panting after all the excitement as he returned to his bed. Rukia was already back inside the closet. Normally, Ichigo would use the moment to give Rukia a quick lecture on staying hidden while inside his house, but he decided he would let her off the hook this time. He did, after all, make her drink six bowls of soup in less than a minute, so, he decided, it was partially his fault. He crawled back beneath his covers, yawning again, before attempting to relax.

"Ichigo…" came a muffled voice from the closet.

"Mmm?" he murmured, snuggling into his pillow, but turning his head so that one brown eye could look at the closet. The closet door was opened just enough for him to see one eye looking at him apologetically.

"Ano… arigato."

"Mmmm…" He laughed to himself almost inaudibly. Sometimes it was a little thank you that made it all worthwhile. He turned his head back to a comfortable position, and he the heard the closet door close all the way.

………

A/E/N: (Author's ending note) Incase you all don't know, 'hai' is yes, 'ano' is um (in this case), 'demo' is but, 'Oni-chan' is brother, and 'Ichi-ni' is brother Ichi. You like? Reviews are appreciated but not needed.


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